CONTRACTOR SERVICES REINVENTED

Contractor services come in as many varieties as a project demands.

Also, contractors in the same trades come in as many varieties, too.

There’s no cookie cutter that makes everyone equal.

The best you can hope for is finding someone with a good track record on starting and finishing their work on time and on budget.

Sounds easy? Keep reading.

From building contractors, to electrical and plumbing contractors, to roofing and gutter contractors, it’s been the same: they want to reclaim their status as reliable, accountable, professionals who show up on time, keep a clean workspace, and deliver outstanding results.

This is where Pivotal Property Management Solutions comes in:

I work closely with a network of local contractors managing maintenance, landscaping, emergency recovery, and anything else that assures a property is well maintained.

Let Pivotal Property Management, LLC be your partner in managing your investment property.

Reinventing Contractor Services

Let’s say you’re a Do-It-Yourself kind of property owner comfortable with the uncertainty of building projects.

Do you know when to call in the pros?

Maybe you have a network of buddies who gather to together when one of them calls for help?

It’s a roof? Gutters? New plumbing upgrades? New a new electrical breaker box?

I had a neighbor who switched out his electrical panel without ever calling in to have the power shut off.

He was a contractor who could do anything from the ground up.

I knew another general contractor who did some electrical work that included wiring a 110 outlet with borrowed power from a 220.

An electrical contractor working on the same project saw the problem before things got fried and the house caught on fire.

Yet another amateur electrician replaced a dryer plug, switching the one that’s also used for ranges for one with an ‘L’ shaped prong for dryers.

He checked to make sure there was power, then switched the breaker off.

No power? Good. But he rechecked before getting a screwdriver in there to find it was still powered up.

Instead of getting a 220 shock, he switched off the responsible breaker, and changed the plug receptacle out.

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The difference between the DIYer and the pro is safety. An amateur doesn’t go through the rigorous checks and balances of the pros to qualify for their contractor license.

And, the amateur isn’t limited by the same professional standards, permits, and inspections as the pro.

When a project takes shape, ask yourself: Would I hire me?

If you answer no, then who do you hire?

Ask. For. Help.

You might get lucky, but luck isn’t always the best choice.

Responding to maintenance requests in a timely manor leads to happy tenants and less turnover. Quick communication is key, while keeping you and the tenant updated along the way.

Who Needs Help?

One property owner decided to upgrade a house after a nine year run with the same tenants after they left.

Re-do floors, paint, kitchen, exterior paint, landscaping, the works.

They decided to invest in their investment property.

Things got exciting with new ideas, like adding a bathroom and expanding a bedroom.

The decision to expand came after the exterior paint and floor was finished.

Then they decided to move the windows and sliding doors. No problem?

Except to do that required a siding solution. Either use scraps and cobble together old siding, or re-do the back siding to match.

$$$$$

Adding a bathroom required new drainage and a bigger water pipe feed from the meter to the house.

$4600.00

The city said it wasn’t necessary, the plumber said it was required. The city then agreed after checking their records.

The project was hampered by bad weather, decisions made out of order to things already done, and the covid supply chain back-up.

Then there was a labor shortage to go along with material shortages.

To recap: material problems, change orders, labor problems, and the long delay on permits issued.

The End Result Of Contractor Services

The construction mess grew and shrunk with each stage.

A year later things all came together.

With the advice from Pivotal Property Management Solutions, the owners wrapped up the building, put it on the market, and had renters within four days.

Could it have gone better from the start with better coordination? Yes.

Is it a good idea to remodel a mid-century ranch style house?

Building codes have changed and not everything gets ‘grandfathered’ in.

From the chimney to the foundation the entire property stood for review.

Each contractor on the job had bad news to share, from rodent eradication and re-doing crawlspace insulation, to miscalculating measurements.

Would any of the problems have been mitigated with an extra set of experienced eyes, and contractors knowing they had a professional property manager to answer to, along with the owners?

Some people demand honesty and accountability without saying a thing. You can explain your version of events to them and see the problems you didn’t see before.

Pivotal Property Management Solutions works with accountability and honesty while helping to reinvent contractor services.

That’s a mission we can all agree on, along with the savings you’ll gain with a coordinated effort.

It all starts with a sharp eye on the details.

Now you know someone.